Lecture Series Irrigation Technologies and Water Management across Eurasia (hybrid)
A tale of two cities: Water and the origins of hydraulic societies in prehistoric China
Yijie Zhuang, Professor of Chinese Archaeology and Geoarchaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London
Respondent: Mike Church, Professor of Environmental Archaeology at Durham University
The rapid accumulation of archaeological and environmental data has allowed us to revisit some fundamental problems and salient characteristics of Chinese history. In particular, the archaeology of water offers a unique lens for understanding labour organisation, governance structures, and social evolution in ancient China. In this talk, I will present findings from our recent archaeological and palaeo-environmental studies at the late-prehistoric Liangzhu and Pingliangtai sites in Central and South China. These results shed light on the complex and diverse interactions between water, environment, and society across different prehistoric regions. While Wittfogal’s proposition on the central importance of large-scale irrigation systems to the rise of coercive power in ancient China remains informative, it fails to consider the variegated environmental foundations and diverse cultural and economic institutions between different regions, which gave rise to complex patterns of social governance, technologies, and labour coordination.
References:
Liu, B., Wang, N., Chen, M., Wu, X., Mo, D., Liu, J., Xu, S., and Zhuang Y. 2017. Earliest hydraulic enterprise in China, 5,100 years ago. Proceedings of National Academy of Science, 114, 13637-13642.
Wang, N., Dong, C., Xu, H., and Zhuang, Y. 2020. Letting the stones speak: An interdisciplinary survey of stone collection and construction at Liangzhu City, prehistoric Lower Yangtze River. Geoarchaeology, 35, 625-643.
Li, C., Cao, Y., Zhang, C., Qin, L., Deng, Z., Chen, Y., Zhu, S., Li W., Yuan, J., Zhang, H., and Zhuang Y. 2023. Earliest ceramic drainage system and the formation of hydro-sociality in monsoonal East Asia. Nature Water, 1, 694-704.
Zhuang, Y., Yuan, J., Liang, S., Chen, M., and Wang, N. 2024. Architectural technology and labour organisation at the late Neolithic Liangzhu City, Yangtze Delta region, China. Journal of Archaeological Science, 167, 105999.
When: Tuesday 6th May 5 pm CET // 4 pm GMT
Where: Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 7 Owengate, Durham, DH1 3HB
Hybrid Event: Please register here for the Zoom link
Joint Lecture Series of the Cluster of Excellence EurAsian Transformation in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage and the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Durham University. Supported by University of Vienna and the Young Academy of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
